Chapter 297: Why Should Su Tao Have a Good Life?
Song Yuebing had put in a lot of effort to find a cat:
“The kitten will indeed change quite a bit over the next few months, but it has a big round face and is a ‘five-pink’ cat—its four paws and nose are all pink. It’s unlikely to grow up looking bad.”
He actually wanted to say that it might even turn out to be a pleasant surprise.
The tip of its tail had a hint of pale gold—what if it turned into a flame-point gradient with a big fluffy tail? And if its facial features grew in nicely, it would be a true beauty.
Thinking about this, Song Yuebing felt a surge of excitement.
The young noblewoman would definitely love it.
If everything worked out, their convoy might even get a share of the northern transportation market from Boss Luo’s connections.
Su Tao didn’t agree to sell the kitten, but she also didn’t outright refuse.
For now, keeping the kitten alive and healthy was the priority.
Song Yuebing didn’t push further—he’d wait until the kitten grew a bit more.
The convoy of vehicles made its way toward the conference exhibition hall.
Xindu had invested a lot of money into its exhibition center. The entire building was the grandest structure in the city, with roads on both sides that were wider than in other areas. There were even green belts along the sides, making it look almost identical to pre-apocalypse roads.
Wu Zhen glanced at the greenery and remarked,
“Xindu must have some plant-based ability users, but they probably only use their powers to grow grass.”
Wu Zhen was quite confident in his abilities—plant-based powers were diverse and complex, and not many were as well-rounded as he was.
He even had a faint feeling that he was on the verge of breaking through to the next level…
Before they even reached the exhibition hall entrance, they found themselves stuck in another long queue.
This time, they didn’t have a high-ranking official like Minister Xu to lead them through the fast track.
Su Tao took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
But just as she closed her eyes, Qian Rongrong, sitting in the backseat, cautiously poked her:
“Sister Tao, I think that’s the lady who sent us strawberries…”
Su Tao groggily opened her eyes and turned to look out the window—only to see Jiang Jinwei in a car alongside theirs.
Jiang Jinwei was glaring at her, her expression a mix of shock and anger.
Su Tao fully woke up now.
She had guessed that Jiang Jinwei might attend the conference—after all, she had gotten close to a vice president of the summit. Getting an invitation for his woman would have been easy.
She just hadn’t expected the bad luck of ending up in the same queue as her.
Su Tao rolled up the car window and turned her head away, going back to sleep.
Seeing Su Tao dismissively turn away, Jiang Jinwei became even angrier.
Her driver asked curiously, “Miss Jiang, did you see someone you know?”
Jiang Jinwei snapped, “No.”
She still hadn’t figured out why Su Tao was even here. Could she really attend the summit?
Impossible.
But then her gaze shifted to the man sitting in the driver’s seat of Su Tao’s car.
Through the glass and the distance, she couldn’t see his face clearly, but he looked familiar.
She was just about to get a better look when suddenly, a staff member wearing a conference badge walked toward them.
Jiang Jinwei was delighted—these staff members were responsible for directing cars to the fast-track entrance.
Ercheng still cared about her after all. He wouldn’t let her wait in the heat outside.
Lately, she wasn’t sure what had made Ercheng unhappy. He had been avoiding her under the excuse of work, and he had even gently discouraged her from attending today’s conference.
But she wouldn’t accept that.
She had used all her charm and persistence to make him agree. Though he had told her he would be too busy to accompany her, at least she was still allowed to attend.
She had been sulking about it, but now, this gesture reassured her.
Just as she was about to greet the staff member, she saw them walk right past her car—straight to Su Tao’s window.
The staff member knocked politely and asked,
“Excuse me, are you a representative from Taoyang attending the conference?”
Su Tao woke up and rolled down the window halfway. “Yes. Is something wrong?”
At the same time, another staff member knocked on the driver’s side window and asked,
“Are you Major Shi from Dongyang?”
Both of them confirmed their identities. Within moments, they were escorted to the fast-track lane.
Jiang Jinwei was completely stunned.
She couldn’t believe it.
She turned to her driver and demanded, “How does Taoyang get fast-track access?”
Even many first- and second-tier bases didn’t have this privilege!
Why Taoyang? No, why Su Tao?!
She was still Zuo Ercheng’s woman, yet she was being left behind?
She couldn’t hold back—she immediately sent Zuo Ercheng a message.
When he didn’t reply after two minutes, she impatiently called him.
Zuo Ercheng was incredibly busy inside the conference hall. When he heard his phone ring, he reluctantly answered,
“What is it now?”
Jiang Jinwei was a little afraid of him. Her anger turned into grievance as she said,
“Ercheng, Su Tao got to use the fast-track lane. You’re really going to make me stand in line for three hours in this heat?”
Zuo Ercheng instantly caught onto the key detail:
“Su Tao? Your half-sister? She’s at the conference?”
Jiang Jinwei was so frustrated she nearly choked.
“You—you…!”
But she forced herself to stay calm.
“Yes. She came as a man’s plus-one.”
Zuo Ercheng immediately took note.
Even if she was just a plus-one, her man must have some influence in Taoyang—after all, there were only a few spots available.
Xindu was actually interested in negotiating with Taoyang’s leadership to secure exclusive access to their supplies.
Their plan was to lock Taoyang down before it fully grew, making it Xindu’s personal “blood bank.”
However, this kind of maneuver wasn’t exactly ethical. If Taoyang had a strong leader, the negotiations wouldn’t be easy.
So, Xindu was observing Taoyang’s leadership first. Regardless, they had to show Taoyang some respect.
Thinking of this, Zuo Ercheng chuckled.
“Got it. When you get inside, have a chat with your sister. Siblings shouldn’t hold grudges. I’ll have someone bring you in soon—be patient.”
Jiang Jinwei’s emotions were complicated.
Why did it sound like she was only getting fast-track access because of Su Tao?!
Su Tao had such good luck.
Even after being kicked out by their family, she still managed to latch onto a military officer, settle in Taoyang, and now attend this conference.
Even if she was just a minor figure here, it still shattered Jiang Jinwei’s long-standing sense of superiority.
She had once run away like a deserter, first attaching herself to a small-time gang leader, then ditching him when she met the wealthy and influential Zuo Ercheng.
No one knew what she had endured over the past six months.
Everything she did was to rise above others and live a luxurious life without worries.
So why did Su Tao get to have it all without sacrificing anything?
Jiang Jinwei clenched her fists.
She had to climb even higher—so high that Su Tao could never reach her.
Meanwhile, Su Tao was oblivious to the fact that someone was plotting against her.
She was simply handing her invitation to the conference staff.
Since Taoyang’s slots were borrowed from various sources, each invitation had a different header.
The staff glanced at hers, which read “Dongyang Base,” and gave a cold, dismissive response:
“Go in.”
Just like that, she got a taste of how fickle people could be.
Qian Lin’s invitation was from Wutai Base, so she received slightly better treatment.
Cheng Yang’s invitation was courtesy of his big brother Lei, so the staff smiled even more.
When it was Shi Zijin’s turn, the staff practically turned into lapdogs:
“Major Shi, please come in. Mr. Ling specifically instructed us to take you to the VIP lounge.”
